I chose this scene because it was probably the one that stood out most for me. Although the visual weren't the most eye catching of the film I found this to be most interesting in terms of storyline and pacing and just the overall feel of the scene. What I found to be the thing that drew me most was the emphasis that was placed on the fly. I immediately related it back to earlier in the film and instantly that this would be a turning point in the film. I also liked the way that the connection is built throughout it with them starting out as strangers but soon turning in to possibly lovers.
Characters:
Who?
In this scene there are only characters, Eva and Adam. Eva appears in this scene as a quite stand off-ish individual not willing to let Adam get close to her. She doesn't even seem to appreciate his help. This is down to the bad experience she has had in the past with her husband. Although, by the end of the scene she opens up more and even manages to smile.
Adam on the other hand is a nice man willing to help someone that he has just met. In this scene we see how he is opposite to Eva's husband and why she learns to like him.
What do they want?
In this scene Eva clearly wants to get away. You can see in her manner that she doesn't want to let herself get close to this man and you can see why with her past experiences.
On the other hand Adam wants to help her even persisting to aid her after she has slapped him. You could suggest however that he might be doing this to get rewarded sexually. which he does.
Status of the characters
Through out most of this scene Adam seems to be the dominant character. This is portrayed in many of the shots where he is positioned above her in almost heroic poses. In this scene there is almost an unspoken battle between who is the dominant in the relationship. Eva tries to assert her dominance by slapping Adam and running away but all of this fails as she ends up needing his assistance when she gets injured. This then gives him the position of power in the relationship and by the end of the scene he has broken down her emotional walls.
Costumes
In this scene they both wear almost identical clothing. Both of them are wearing very bright colours which separate them from the background of the field. For both of them these colours could symbolise the idea of hope as Eva hopes to have finally found someone that is perfect for her. Wearing only white she is also a symbol of purity having presumably been a virgin up until this point but not for much longer. There clothes also make them seem like one being when they lay next to each other on the grass.
Setting:
This scene is shot in an open field on a bright day perhaps close to summer. The sun beating suggests that this is taking place in the middle of the day/afternoon time.
What I think is important about this setting is that it plays in to the idea of nature that runs throughout this film and the idea that this love is almost literally blossoming .
In terms of the film this scene takes place somewhere towards the middle and in the narrative this scene is a key turning point of the film and is the basis for what is to come.
Mis-en-scene:
In this scene the dominant features are both of the main characters. For the most part either of them occupy the majority of the frame at any one time. At first the two don't share a close space in the frame but gradually they begin to grow closer until they both share a small space in the centre of the screen.
Adam gets the most attention out of the two being in the centre of frame more often and also by being shot with the camera looking upwards at him. Both of these characters wear similar outfits which help them standout from the background as well as making them appear almost as one when they sit next to each other.
The only other thing in this scene to get any focus is the flower with the fly on. This is given a lot of emphasis because it is the moment Eva realises that this man is different from her husband and she can see that he might be a good match for her.
Another thing that features in this scene which also appears throughout this scene is the horse. In the film the horse is used as a symbol for her own sexuality and its repression. By dragging the horse away in this scene she is trying to pull away her own sexual desire for this man but in the end her desire wins and the scene develops from that.
Camera work:
In this scene camera, accompanied by the music helps to create a rather slow pace. This pacing helps to aid what is happening as these are the first, slow steps in the relationship.
The camera itself remains very static in this scene rarely moving and even when it does it only moves small amounts. Again, this helps keep the pace.
There is also a shift in the focal length of the camera as the scene progresses as it goes from showing quite long shots to more intimate close ups as the characters grow closer.
Shot list
Shot 1: Long shot of adam and horse, pans to him and Eva
Shot 2: Mid shot of her and horse
Shot 3: Mid shot of adam
Shot 4: back to mid shot of Eva and horse
Shot 5: Back to mid shot of adam
Shot 6: Mid tracking shot of Eva
Shot 7: Mid shot of adam
Shot 8: Mid tracking shot of Eva
Shot 9: Mid shot of adam
Shot 10: Extreme Long shot of Eva and Horse
Shot 11: Mid tracking shot of Eva
Shot 12: Upwards facing mid shot of Eva falling
Shot 13: Extreme Long shot of adam running to help
shot 14: Long shot of Eva on ground
Shot 15: upwards facing mid shot of Adam
Shot 16: Mid shot of her on ground
Shot 17: upwards facing mid shot of Adam
Shot 18: Mid shot of her on ground
shot 19: Long shot of them
Shot 20: Mid shot of her, pans up so he's in frame to, pans back to just her
Shot 21: Long shot of them
Shot 22: Mid shot of her, pans to him
Shot 23: another side on, medium shot of him. pans to include her in frame
shot 24: close up of his face
shot 25: close up of her face
shot 26: close up of his face
shot 27: close up of her face
shot 28: mid shot of him
shot 29: close up of her face
shot 30: mid shot of him
shot 31: close up of her
shot 32: back to mid shot of him, pans down to her foot
shot 33: back to close up of her
shot 34: medium upwards facing shot of him
shot 35: back to close up of her
shot 36: Side profile shot of him, zoom out to long shot of them
shot 37: cut to mid/long shot of at same angle
shot 38: close up of her face
shot 39: medium shot of him
shot 40: close up of flower
shot 41: Side profile shot of Eva
shot 42: Mid shot of Adam
shot 43: Back to side profile shot of Eva
shot 44: close up of flower
shot 45: Side profile shot of Eva
shot 46: medium shot of him with flower
shot 47: Side profile shot of Eva
shot 48: Mid shot of them
shot 49: close up of her holding flower
shot 50: medium profile shot of them both
shot 51: close up profile shot of both of them
Sound:
The sound design in this scene consists only of music. The music helps to tell the story without even seeing it as it accentuates the moments of action and drama such as the fall and slap. These few times contrast against the more peaceful music that runs throughout the rest of the scene. This music helps to create an upbeat mood and picks up towards the end create an atmosphere of hope and happiness.
